Michelle Chase has been through more in her 24 years than most people have in a lifetime. Not only did she grow up poor in South Florida with a single mother, but her best friend, her father, disappeared from her life at an early age. As a result of her Dad's absence, her mom became the most influential person in her life.

Although life has been rocky for Chase, she's tough and resourceful and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She began supporting herself at the age of 16 and was married and divorced by the time she was 19.

Chase currently works as a music production assistant. She enjoys DJ-ing, boxing and surfing and describes herself as lively, bodacious and loud. When asked how her friends would describe her, she says hardcore, fun and set in her ways.

Besides being mentally strong, Chase has also run several triathlons. She is ready to bring her street smarts combined with physical fearlessness to the game of SURVIVOR.

Chase is single and currently lives in Los Angeles. Her birth date is March 7, 1984

“I kind of want to be seen as a mousy, skinny girl who isn’t very strong”

Michelle Chase is many things: a boxer, a DJ, a music producer, and a charity founder. She was the last person I talked to that Saturday, and I was her last interview; perhaps because of that, she was very low-energy, although not in the same way as Jacquie. She was pleasant to talk to, but didn’t really stand out.

Michelle’s love for DJing led her to work on film music, because that didn’t require expensive equipment, and most recently she did post-production music on Hancock. Michelle also founded a charity, Knockouts for Girls, and she expressed her irritation with the way Parvati Shallow—who’s involved with the charity and works with Michelle’s charity business partner on a reality show project—mentioned it on Survivor “because she wanted to make herself look good,” Michelle said. Despite the “millions of dollars worth” of publicity that mention generated, Michelle said, “It’s my baby. She was out here doing Survivor when I was working 90-hour weeks to found that charity.”

She lives in Los Angeles, and was recruited while working out on the Santa Monica stairs. Michelle watched season one, and “bits and pieces of other seasons,” but said she’d only do Survivor or female Contender because she’s an mixed martial arts boxer, and is considering going professional. “If I can use Survivor to sell tickets,” she said she’d like to go pro, but only if she can make $100,000 a fight.

From the ages of 7 to 12, she did triathlons with her dad—until he remarried someone who’s “literally crazy” and that woman’s “stepbrats stole him,” Michelle said. She and her father reconnected on her 24th birthday this past March, the first time they’d spoken in years, and now Michelle is looking forward to his wife watching her on TV. “I want her to see me on the show. It’d totally tear her apart. I can’t wait. Of course, it could be a downfall if I don’t do well, which is not going to happen,” Michelle said.

Despite her athleticism, her strategy in the game is to hold back and not be seen as a physical threat. “I kind of want to be seen as a mousy, skinny girl who isn’t very strong and doesn’t eat a lot and can be beat,” she said. To prepare for that, Michelle told me she’d “been practicing starving,” going “all day without eating” and working out.

Amusingly, Michelle said she doesn’t want to be like Corinne, who had been “exercising in front of everybody” at pre-Ponderosa. “I call her Jerri number two … she’s walking around with the 48 Laws of Power,” a book Michelle says she’s read but that is stupid to read in front of everyone else, and thus Michelle said Corinne “has a huge target on her back, I think, and the game hasn’t even started yet.”

As to her game, Michelle said her biggest challenge comes from within. “I tend to defend myself too much. If I feel threatened or attacked, I’ll attack right back. This tactic will definitely hurt me in this game, so I definitely want to play up the victim card a bit more,” Michelle said. “I don’t want to lash out. What happens more than not is I end up looking like the jerk, when if I would have just shut up, the other person would have looked like the jerk. So that’s one of my personal goals is to learn to keep my mouth shut when I need to and not say more than is necessary, because I talk a lot.”

lol This is true. But her little comment about "they have all the pretty people over there" was just ridiculous to say. I think the REAL reason she was bitter that she was on that team, is because she wasn't on the cute doctors team.

Nobody ever likes being the first person voted off of a show, and Michelle was certainly no different. What does she think she would have needed to do in order to stick around? Did she have a plan to overcome her admitted difficulty being nice to people she didn’t like? And what is she disappointed that they didn’t show on TV? Read all of this and more right here in our exclusive interview!

I think we caught Michelle at a bad time for the interview – in fact, I think we woke her up. Based on her personality on the show, I expected her to be a bit more acid-tongued and have more to say. Then again, the morning after you’ve been shown on TV as the first person voted off of Survivor might not be a time when somebody is at their most talkative. I did draw her out and get a few answers – and even a couple laughs – out of her, though, so let’s take a look.

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Michelle, and thanks for taking the time to talk to RealityNewsOnline! What was your strategy coming into the game?

Michelle: To hide my strengths.

RNO: Such as?

Michelle: The fact that I box and I’m extremely athletic.

RNO: You told Ken that you aren’t good at pretending to like people if you don’t really like them. How did you plan to overcome that key factor in playing Survivor?

Michelle: I guess I just didn’t expect to have a whole tribe of people I didn’t really like.

RNO: Was there anybody beside Ken that you did like?

Michelle: I got along with GC and Dan.

RNO: When Ken told you it seemed like the vote was aiming your way, what did you do to try to turn things around?

Michelle: I definitely talked a lot about how if anyone would be put into my shoes – if anyone was solving the puzzle was put in my shoes – they would have been even worse off.

RNO: Speaking of them, what did you think of the puzzle solvers?

Michelle: They were all completely useless.

RNO: By the time Tribal Council arrived, did you know you were leaving?

Michelle: I didn’t really know until we were actually there. It was kind of obvious.

RNO: Did Ken join everyone else in voting against you?

Michelle: Yes.

RNO: Did you tell him to (to keep himself with the group)?

Michelle: No, I didn’t tell him to. (Said in a tone like, “Are you crazy?”)

RNO: Now that you’ve seen the episode, what do you think of the reasons you were voted off?

Michelle: I think it was kind of unjust. I think everyone was playing it safe and didn’t wan to be the first one to go.

RNO: What do you think you could have done differently to change the outcome of the vote?

Michelle: Yeah, definitely. If I would have played completely different all over, of course.

RNO: Did you know Ken was harboring potentially romantic feelings for you?

Michelle: No. (Laughing)

RNO: What was the most eye-opening thing you saw on TV that you didn’t know about while you were there?

Michelle: I got voted off. That was really surprising to me. (Awkward pause while I try to figure out if she’s joking or saying something else that I’m just not getting, then she laughed.) No, not really.

RNO: What did you do on the show that we didn’t get to see on TV?

Michelle: I box and talked a lot about that. That’s a huge part of my life. That wasn’t brought up at all. The only reason I’m disappointed they didn’t bring that up is that I think it would have made my tribe look even more retarded for voting me off. I could kick anyone’s butt on any tribe.

RNO: Do you have anything to say to your tribemates at this time?

Michelle: No, not really.

RNO: Do you have anything else you’d like to tell us about your time on Survivor?

Michelle: It was awesome. And I wasn’t $#!t on by a hippo, so that was good. (Laughing.)

Michelle Chase, 24-year-old Los Angeles, CA music production assistant, got off to a poor Survivor: Gabon start when she became the last castaway picked during the opening pick 'em that determined the show's tribes and she never seemed to get over it.

After spending three days dealing with her poor attitude, her fellow Fang members unanimously voted her out of their tribe despite the fact she was far from the group's weakest member.

On Friday, a still bitter and strongly opinionated Michelle talked to Reality TV World about why she thinks she was picked last, how she didn't feel she was an outsider, when she realized her tribe had decided to vote her out, why she thinks she was voted off, what her strategy was, and how she considered her critical Tribal Council comments to be helpful constructive criticism.

Reality TV World: Let's start right at the beginning. What happened at the pick 'em?

Michelle: What do you mean "what happened?"

Reality TV World: Well, at Tribal Council you told [host Jeff Probst] that you kind of weren't surprised that you were the last person picked. Why was that?

Michelle: Because I'm small, I guess. I was actually really surprised that I was the last person picked. It seemed like very dumb decisions where made when people were picking tribes.

Reality TV World: Who did you think would be picked last?

Michelle: Um, [Randy Bailey], [Susie Smith]. One of the older out of shape people.

Reality TV World: After you guys got divided up into tribes, you participated in that first challenge where there was individual immunity up for grabs. Given you the last one picked, was there some reason why you didn't turn around and decide to help the rest of your team after you already saw that [Danny "G.C." Brown] had gotten the idol?

Michelle: You just answered that question for yourself! I was the last one picked so of course I didn't care about them.

Reality TV World: So rather than try and turn that into a positive and show that you had some worth to your team, you just kind gave up at that point? Is that what you're saying?

Reality TV World: OK.. based on the editing it looks like you were an outsider from pretty much the time your tribe arrived at camp. Would you say that's accurate?

Michelle: No I don't think I was an outsider. I mean, I definitely didn't have any peers. I didn't have any girls my age to click with. But, I mean, I don't think I was an outcast.

Reality TV World: We only saw you basically hanging out with [Ken Hoang] last night. You're saying you did hang out with the others and it just wasn't shown?

Michelle: Yeah, I mean G.C.'s a recording artist and I'm a musician as well [so] of course we hung out and talked. And I cuddled with [Dan Kay] every night. They didn't show that either.

They didn't show a lot of stuff. It was only a 40-minute show. If I was on the show longer than you would've seen more. They didn't have much to work with [and] they had to squeeze in what they could.

Reality TV World: So do you agree with the way that it was presented last night that Ken was...

Michelle: Me and Ken definitely got along and we definitely were friends. I talked to him probably the most and that's probably why it was shown that way because we did talk he most. But it's not like I was a snob to everybody else and didn't talk to everyone. I knew I was playing a game so of course I tried to make nice with everybody.

Reality TV World: OK, because from the edit of the show, it really seemed like you had just basically been hanging out with Ken and the only other time viewers saw you talking about the other folks you were calling them "dorks" or the "worst people on the Earth" or other less than complimentary things.

Michelle: Right... I definitely don't remember saying "the worst people on Earth."

Reality TV World: OK, what made you say those things?

Michelle: I didn't say that!

Reality TV World - You didn't say what?

Michelle: I didn't call them "the worst people on Earth."

Reality TV World: You're saying you didn't call them "the dumbest people on Earth?"

Michelle: I didn't say that because that would be really mean. The fact that they were older and out of shape was apparent and yes I did bring that up and use that a lot and I was disappointed that I was on the tribe that consisted of out of shape people. Mainly consisted of out of shape people.

[Editor's Note: Last night's Survivor: Gabon broadcast did show Michelle saying she believed her tribe was "the dumbest people on Earth." In addition, also showed her calling them "dorks," "retarded," and not "the brightest bunch." But not "the WORST people on Earth," because that would be really mean.]

Reality TV World: OK, so from your standpoint then you thought the major issue was really the physical preparedness of specifically who, [Gillian Larson] and [Randy Bailey]?

Michelle: Um yeah, [Susie Smith] too! And [Crystal Cox] may have won a gold medal but she's very slow [and] very big. I didn't think she was an athlete. I was like "there's no way." The girl's way too goofy to be an athlete.

Michelle: Yeah, I did. And she's yet to prove to me that she's an athlete, or at least show me that she has it in her to be an athlete. I mean, you saw it in the first challenge: She was just dragging. She didn't even make it up that hill!

Reality TV World: No I understand that. That's just why it seemed a little surprising that after immunity was already taken by G.C., it would have seemed a more likely way to prove your worth to the tribe would've been to turn around and help them get up the hill -- but there's two sides to that I guess.

Michelle: I guess you should apply for Survivor then.

Reality TV World: When you were out there you said you were uncomfortable given how "bony" you are. Did you try and put on any weight before going on the show? What did you do to prepare before leaving?

Michelle: I actually lost weight to prepare. My strategy was to practice starving and living on less calories day-to-day, and I think that was a good strategy because I wasn't hungry at all. I didn't eat for --well, I ate a termite -- in three days.

I came off the show and they had all of these snacks for me and I wasn't the least bit hungry. I think that was a very good way to prepare for the show because there were a lot of people who were like "Well you have to put on some weight!" and I'm like "Why? So my body will need more calories to function?"

Reality TV World: Was there a reason you were sleeping right on the wood when you were having a hard time? Wasn't there something that you could've used as some type of bedding -- like grass or palms or something?

Michelle: Yeah, yeah... they didn't show it, but we spent all day gathering leaves to try to cushion it as much as we [could]. And even after spending hours upon hours collecting leaves it really didn't do anything. [Looking] back, I probably would have just slept on the grass, [but] you take that risk of all the bugs and everything.

Reality TV World: Before you guys left for Tribal Council it seemed like the rest of your tribe had become convinced that you were really having "too hard a time" and didn't "really want to be out there." But other than your issue regarding warmth, we really didn't see anything like that so do you have any idea what they were talking about or what they were basing it on?

Michelle: Yeah... I mean at night... It was the first three nights out there and at night it was really, really, really cold. And I'm really in shape so my blood pressure is really low and I get cold really easily.

Despite that, I had the least amount of clothing of anyone on the whole entire show. I got stuck with the least amount of clothing, and given all those [factors] I was just freezing cold and so when night came around I wasn't the most happiest person in the world.

I mean I wasn't a bitch, but I wasn't super stoked. I wasn't my "go-giddy self" because I was freezing cold! None of [my tribemates] felt what I felt because they all had suits and jackets and lots of fat to keep them warm. I think that they just played that up a lot -- the fact that I was miserable at night.

Reality TV World: Is it safe to say then that you went into that Tribal Council expecting to be going home?

Michelle: Um, yeah. But not until we were literally walking into it.

Reality TV World: What did you think prior to that point was going to happen?

Michelle: I didn't think for a second that I would be the first to go out of these people that weren't useful for anything.

Reality TV World: But did you think that it was going to be Gillian...

Michelle: Randy through the end, and Gillian, were both up to that point completely useless. I didn't think for a second that I would be the first to go. I was completely confident up until the point we were walking into Tribal Council.

Reality TV World: So right up until the vote happened? Or did someone call you aside as you were walking in? Is that what you're saying?

Michelle: No, it [was] just... people start not looking at you and not talking to you.

Reality TV World: Why do you think that they decided to keep Gillian instead of you?

Michelle: I think that they were just scared themselves, seeing that everyone was playing it safe and just wanted to do what the group was doing. You know, like Jeff said they were in denial about being a really sucky tribe, and they didn't realize it until the next Tribal Council and they were like "Yeah we need to get our **** together." It's like, "Oh, well you should've thought about that while I was still around."

Reality TV World: You were critical of the [tribe's] challenge performance during that Tribal Council. By that point did you already know that you were going home and you were basically just saying "Hey, I'm gonna go anyways so I'm not hold back at this point?"

Michelle: Well I definitely wanted them to feel and look like they were doing something wrong.

Reality TV World: It seemed a little odd that you attacked G.C. and he had immunity, so there wasn't much that was going to come out of that. And then Ken seemed to be the other person you singled out and he was obviously...

Michelle: They were the people that I remember not doing **** during our losing challenge!

Reality TV World: But one guy had immunity, and the other guy was your closest ally, basically. So, were you thinking that maybe they were gonna vote Ken out instead...

Michelle: Yes, but if my friend has something in their teeth I'm gonna tell them, and if you're not stepping up to the plate I'll tell you.

Reality TV World: So that had nothing to do with trying to save your own skin then?

Michelle: No.

Reality TV World: By that point you had kind of figured out that you were definitely going home?

Michelle: Yeah, [it was more like] "If you guys yourselves want to stay in this game you better step up."

Reality TV World: Why did you suddenly turn around after that then and voice your agreement that G.C. would be a great leader?

Michelle: Just because out of everyone he seemed to be the most neutral.

Reality TV World: Were you surprised at how that whole leader discussion unfolded and how much Jeff pushed and interjected himself into it?

Michelle: Um... no. No.

Reality TV World: Based on his comments and body language during that whole thing it really seemed obvious that G.C. really didn't want to be the leader and was just trying to make himself look good. Was that your read on it at the time as well?

Michelle: You know... no. I was actually really surprised by his work ethic and everything despite the fact that he had immunity and he didn't really need to do anything. He really surprised me. I think that is one of the reasons I thought he would be a really good leader.

I mean he didn't need to and he spent hours trying to make a fire with a stick and a string. Even though I knew from the beginning that it wasn't gonna work, it still impressed me that he tried.

Reality TV World: So your take on it is that he was sincere then?

Michelle: Yes.

Reality TV World: How were you cast on the show?

Michelle: I was working out and I was asked if I would be interested in applying.

Reality TV World: I saw that you and Parvati Shallow had some type of boxing charity connection. Did she have anything to do with your casting?

Michelle: No... no.

Reality TV World: Had you seen a lot of the show before you participated?

Michelle: I'd seen bits and pieces. Once I found out I was going to definitely be on then I starting watching religiously.

Reality TV World: What was your strategy going into the game?

Michelle: It was pretty much just to keep my mouth shut and really not say anything that I [didn't] need to. I didn't really want anyone to know that I was a boxer and that I founded a charity. All of these things, to me, would've been threats. Of course if I could go back and change that I probably would've been more vocal about my athleticism and still would have downplayed the fact that I founded a charity.

Reality TV World: During Tribal Council when everybody was looking for a leader, did you ever consider throwing your name out as a last ditch effort to try and save yourself?

Michelle: You know, I do actually faintly remember that faintly crossing my mind. I was just in so much of a trance and I didn't know what was gonna happen next. I do remember it flashing in my head though.

Reality TV World: Is there anyone you would like to see win?

Michelle: I would really like to see... I mean [last night] was the first time I got to anything happen at the Kota tribe and [Paloma Soto-Castillo] was cracking me up. That girl was hilarious, and so I'd like to see her go far.

Reality TV World: What's next for you? What are you doing now?

Michelle: I'm currently training for a pay-per-view fight that will be on during Super Bowl weekend, and I'm working on putting out podcasts of my DJ-ing, recording and stuff like that.

I don't want BuddyTV readers to get the wrong idea about my opinions of Michelle. I'm certainly not her biggest fan and I can see where she made mistakes in her social game. However, voting out strong players early on in Survivor is a mistake that many have made in the past and it never works out in their favor. People get too paranoid early on. Last night, the Fang tribe was even trying to send Dan home! This kind of irrational gameplay is exactly what will be their undoing and I think every Survivor fans sees Kota basically floating along, no problem, to the merge. They'll have the numbers and a Fang tribe member will be lucky just to get to final four. They'll have a lot of work ahead of them if they make it to the merge, trying to fit in with people who have already bonded and been living together. The'yll just have to hope to become a swing vote. Michelle knows thi too, and today, she spoke about it in her exclusive interview with BuddyTV.

Hey everybody. This is Gina from BuddyTV, and today I’m talking to Michelle from Survivor: Gabon. My first question is: how stupid is the Fang tribe for voting you out first?

You picked up on it too? I think their IQs altogether may equal mine.

Well, it just seems like tribes who vote out strong players in the beginning just never succeed in this game.

Yeah.

So what do you think ended up happening? They said that you didn’t mesh well with them, but I didn’t really see that in the episode. Was there something that we didn’t get to see?

No. I think Gillian or some of the older people were just looking for anything. They knew that they were the weaker ones. In common sense, though, they would be the first ones to go, so I think they were just looking for anything. And the fact that I was super cold, and I was visible at night – I was freezing cold; I had no clothes. Aside from that, I got along with everybody. They were a lot of fun. It was just at night, and I think they really played that up and was like, “She’s miserable and blah blah blah.” Seriously? If you had two percent body fat and mini shorts on, you’d be freezing too. You know, I’m extremely fit, so the fact that I have really low blood pressure, I get cold super easily. That definitely didn’t help me out at all.

Is it safe to say that people really underestimated you in the beginning of this game?

Oh, definitely. I mean, I was the last one picked and then I was the third person up the hill. I was definitely underestimated. I flew by everyone.

Didn’t you think that when you were the first girl to the top of the hill that you had earned your place in the tribe? I would think that that would do it, but apparently not.

I definitely think that that would do it, but even if I hadn’t been the first girl up the hill, just looking at my tribe members, I’m obviously in better shape than more than half of them. And if you really want to get down to it, I know for a fact that I’m the most fit person on that tribe, and probably in the entire game. I’m a freakin’ boxer. You have to be in incredible shape to box, and I’ve been boxing for years.

We saw on last night’s episode that you formed a good friendship with Ken. When you were in Africa, did you know that he had a crush on you?

No, I didn’t.

So when you watch that back and you hear him say all those things about you, what’s going through your mind when you see the episode?

I was cracking up. I thought it was so adorable. It was the cutest thing ever.

Does Ken have a chance to survive in this game, or do you think the tribe will pick him off early on?

It’s definitely hard to say. I think that if they lose the next challenge, he probably does have a good chance of being the one to go.

Who’s really manipulating the Fang tribe and getting the votes to go their way?

I thought that Gillian tried the hardest. I mean, obviously, it didn’t do anything, but she definitely tried the hardest. I think Randy’s kind of silent but deadly. He says he’s just going to shut up and sit back, but I really don’t think that’s the case with him.

In last night’s episode, your tribe loses three challenges in a row. Is this tribe just on a path of destruction the whole time or are they going to be able to get it together?

I mean, they lost me, so I’m going to have to go with no.

Your tribe made some really odd picks when it was time for that schoolyard pick. What was the strategy? Do you have any idea?

I have no idea. To this day, I’m stunned by the people that were chosen before me. I was just shocked and I still am.

Do you think that you could have done anything differently to stay in the game, or was your fate sealed from day one?

Of course, looking back, I could have played it differently. I could have gone Parvati’s route and flirted with all the guys on my tribe. I’m sure there were a couple tricks I could have pulled out of my hat, but I was completely cocky. I was like, there’s no way that I was going to be voted out before some of these other people in my tribe. So I wasn’t even thinking that. I didn’t think I needed to think strategy yet, you know what I mean, so early in the game.

So, what’s going on with you now, Michelle? Are you still boxing?

Yes, I’m still boxing. I have a fight on pay-per-view over Super Bowl weekend, and I’m training for that right now.

Alright. Well, thanks so much. I’m sorry you went out so early. I think they’re crazy.

What was your first impression of Africa?Michelle: It was surprisingly cold.

How did it feel to be the last one picked for a tribe yet the first female up the hill during the first immunity challenge?Michelle: I thought it was really funny that all of these out-of-shape older people were being picked before me. It was very shocking and all the more absurd when I was the first one up the hill. Everyone was being pushed up the hill by their butt cheeks, which was hilarious.

At the first tribal council, Jeff said your Fang tribe was a "complete disaster" and in "denial." Do you agree with him?Michelle: I completely agree. Fang was in denial. It wasn't until the second episode that they realized that they sucked and needed to do something about it. Unfortunately, it was too late for me. I've been boxing for quite some time and I know that you can never get better unless you accept that what you're doing is wrong. You can't move forward until you accept that you're not perfect and need to fix things. They were just playing it safe early in the game, and were worried about stepping out of line. I was honest with everyone; they knew that I thought that we sucked.

Elephants were roaming all around your camp — were you ever scared?Michelle: No. I didn't really get to see anything. I heard the animals but was eager to see some real wildlife.

You complained about being bony and cold. How hungry, tired and miserable were you during your three days at camp? Michelle: The hunger didn't bother me at all because traveling there I'd lost so much weight. I was already used to not eating so much, but I was thirsty a lot. Although, it was the cold that did me in. At night I would get quiet because I was freezing. It was horrible. I probably would have been more accepting of people I didn't like if I wasn't freezing, too.

How much weight did you lose during your time on Survivor?Michelle: I'm normally between 112 and 115 pounds and on the show I was probably about 105 pounds.

Any regrets?Michelle: Of course, if I could go back I would do things differently. No one's proud of being the first one voted off. I can't say that I don't regret doing some things because I ended up being the first one to go.

Who are you rooting for now?Michelle: Watching the episode last night was the first time I got to see the Kota tribe. Now I'm routing for Paloma. That girl cracked me up. She's super-cute and hilarious, so I'm hoping she stays on the show for quite some time.

What's next?Michelle: I'm boxing on pay-per-view in January during Super Bowl weekend. So, I'm training for my fight and working on podcasts, which will be available for download.